Ailing Anwar cheered by well-wishers

Thousands of supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's newly freed former deputy prime minister, went to Kuala Lumpur airport late on Saturday night to bid him farewell when he left for emergency spinal surgery in Germany.

Mr Anwar, 57, arrived in Munich yesterday and will have an operation today to cure his spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the gaps in the spinal column that results in extreme pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Observers and officials of Mr Anwar's People's Justice party (Keadilan) said the spontaneous demonstration by 4,000 people in Kuala Lumpur proved that the charismatic former political prisoner was likely to become an important figure in the pro-democracy movement, and mocked claims by the ruling coalition that he was an insignificant political force.

Carrying party flags and placards of support, the demonstration was by far the largest since Mr Anwar was freed after the overturning of his sodomy conviction last Thursday.

Cries of, "Long live Anwar" and "Reformasi", the slogan of the reform movement Mr Anwar led after being sacked in 1998 until he was arrested a few months later.

"I had to go," Muhammed Issar, a bank clerk, told the Guardian yesterday.

"We wanted to show that he has not been forgotten and that we want him to lead this country to a better future."

Tian Chua, the Keadilan vice-president, said the organisation had not expected so many people to arrive. "We were completely shocked," he said, adding that the attendance sent a message to the ruling coalition.

"A lot of people have been saying Anwar no longer can command public attention, that he's a spent force, that Keadilan can no longer mobilise supporters. This will wake them up to the reality."

Malaysia's attention will be divided today between the private Alpha-Klinik in Munich and the federal court in Kuala Lumpur.

In the former, Mr Anwar is expected to have a five-hour operation, which will require about two weeks' convalescence, while in Kuala Lumpur Malaysian appeal court judges will hear the opening arguments in a review of his corruption conviction, for which he served five years in prison.

Mr Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah wan Ismail, two of their six children and several aides have accompanied him to Germany.

Mr Anwar joked with reporters when he arrived at the clinic but was clearly in pain despite his high spirits, the Associated Press reported.

In Kuala Lumpur, Mr Tian said the judges were expected to quash the conviction. "The corruption charges were based on allegations that Mr Anwar tampered with witnesses and interfered with evidence in the sodomy case," he said. "But now the courts have said there was no sodomy, so it seems like it will be hard to substantiate any corruption."

Mr Anwar has always said the charges were trumped up by the then prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, as punishment for turning against him after they fell out over economic policy during the Asian financial crisis.

If the court agrees with Mr Anwar's lawyers, he will be allowed to return to formal politics immediately. If they uphold the verdict he will have to wait until 2008 before he can seek elected office.

Mr Anwar said that, whatever the outcome, he would fight for democracy and human rights once he had recovered. "I hope to come back stronger to continue my struggle," he told reporters at Kuala Lumpur airport.

After his release Mr Anwar said his priorities would be calling for a freer media, fair elections and an independent judiciary.

The Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, said he had not struck any deal with his predecessor's arch enemy.

"I don't deal with anyone," he was quoted as saying in the Star newspaper.

Mr Badawi admitted intervening to expedite Mr Anwar's passport application, but said that was only to ensure no other "negative issues" emerged.